The mnemonic strategies spontaneously employed by college students in learning four types of material (picture list, word list, serial list of words, paired associates) during unrestricted study intervals of 3 minutes were studied in two separate experiments and subjected to preliminary classification and quantification. Modal strategies were identified for each type of material. In general, all modal strategies have the function of subsuming material into ca. 4 or 5 "chunks." Strategies were assigned quantitative scores on the basis of a) inclusiveness for total list and b) ordering within chunks. Obtained quantitative rankings were correlated with performance measures: trials to criterion, number correct first trial and number retained in delayed recall. The projected research will examine the development of strategies with age by repeating a parallel experiment with children in grades 4 to 12.